# Functional Ear Trainer vs EarMaster

The clearest difference is rating: Functional Ear Trainer at 4.9 against EarMaster's 4.6. Functional Ear Trainer also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 81%) and ratings volume (3.7K vs 423). EarMaster's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Functional Ear Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and EarMaster sells 22 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Functional Ear Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Functional Ear Trainer has 3.7K ratings behind it against 423, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of Functional Ear Trainer's written reviews are positive against 81% of EarMaster's.

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, EarMaster every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Functional Ear Trainer | EarMaster |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews)** | [4.6 (423 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earmaster-music-theory/id1105030163/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | 423 |
| Positive reviews | **96.2% of reviews** | 81.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 41 MB | 306 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Serhii Korchan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1088761925) | [EarMaster ApS](https://appshunter.io/developer/412621345) |

## What reviewers say

### Functional Ear Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926)

Develop your musical ear by learning to recognize tones within the context of a specific musical key. This app helps you understand the function of each note, improving your ability to transcribe, improvise, and play music by ear. Suitable for all ages and skill levels, with just 10 minutes of daily practice.

**Highlights:** Recognize tones in musical key context, Understand note function, Improve transcription skills, Enhance improvisation, Develop perfect pitch, Daily 10-minute practice

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Functional Ear Trainer Plus | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Effective ear training
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Customizable exercises
- 🎉 Noticeable improvement with regular practice
- 🎨 Visually appealing design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional audio glitches
- 💡 Lack of support for other instruments besides piano
- 💡 Desire for more advanced features (e.g. chord recognition)

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard display issues when selecting all chromatic notes
- Inconsistent note resolutions in some exercises

**Requested features**

- Add support for multiple notes/chords at once
- Implement a mode for training key recognition
- Provide more customization options for exercises
- Include voice input to play the notes
- Add support for German/Norwegian key names


### EarMaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earmaster-music-theory/id1105030163)

Enhance your musical abilities with comprehensive ear training, sight-singing, and rhythm exercises. This app offers thousands of lessons for all skill levels, from beginners to advanced musicians, and is used by top music schools.

**Highlights:** Ear training exercises, Sight-singing practice, Rhythm training, Vocal training, Beginner's course, Customizable exercises, Detailed progress stats

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customized: Chord Progressions | $0.99 | one-time |
| Customized: Interval Singing | $0.99 | one-time |
| General Workshop: Scale Identification | $0.99 | one-time |
| General Workshop: Interval Comparison | $0.99 | one-time |
| Customized Exercise: Scale Identification | $0.99 | one-time |
| General Workshop: Rhythmic Sight-Reading | $1.99 | one-time |
| General: Chord Identification | $1.99 | one-time |
| General: Interval Singing | $1.99 | one-time |
| General: Interval Identification | $1.99 | one-time |
| General: Chord Progressions | $1.99 | one-time |
| Jazz: Chord Identification | $1.99 | one-time |
| Customized Exercise: Melodic Dictation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Customized Exercise: Melodic Sight-Singing | $1.99 | one-time |
| Jazz Workshop: Chord Progressions | $1.99 | one-time |
| General Workshop: Melodic Sight-Singing | $1.99 | one-time |
| Beginner's Course: Modules 5 to 13 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Beginner's Course bundle | $7.99 | one-time |
| Solfege Fundamentals | $9.99 | one-time |
| Customized Exercises bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| General Workshops bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| Jazz Workshops bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| Vocal Trainer | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent for sight reading and vocal singing
- 👍 Helpful for improving musicianship and sharpening ears
- 💡 Customizable exercises and lessons
- 🚀 Systematic and progressive approach
- 👍 Covers a wide range of topics (intervals, chords, rhythm, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Pitch recognition issues, especially for lower voices
- 🐛 Rhythm playback issues on some devices
- 💰 Expensive, with in-app purchases required for full access
- 🤔 Forced landscape mode on mobile devices

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and errors when loading certain exercises
- Inconsistent behavior with metronome and rhythm playback
- Issues with saving progress and restoring purchased content

**Requested features**

- Allow users to specify their vocal range
- Add more chord and chord progression options
- Implement a jazz-focused curriculum
- Improve feedback and error analysis for users
- Add support for different tuning systems


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Functional Ear Trainer free?

Functional Ear Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is EarMaster free?

EarMaster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Functional Ear Trainer or EarMaster?

Functional Ear Trainer is rated higher. Functional Ear Trainer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while EarMaster averages 4.6 from 423 ratings.

### Do Functional Ear Trainer or EarMaster have ads?

Neither Functional Ear Trainer nor EarMaster shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Functional Ear Trainer or EarMaster?

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, and EarMaster every 2 months. Most recently, Functional Ear Trainer was updated on September 22, 2026 and EarMaster on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*